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advice needed on oversupply one one side.

it seems that i have finally managed to get the oversupply issues under control on the right side but the left still leaks so much that it seems to over-produce in response to the leakage. i am block feeding and feeding more frequently from the right and leaving the left for every 4 hrs or so. this helps a bit but if that feed is not a big one, the engorgement is quite painful and i worry about infections (again!).

what i'm wondering is, if LO doesn't nurse much off the left side and falls asleep, would pumping that breast increase milk production if done right after nursing? i don't want to offer that side again in an hour or so when he wakes up as that would probably cause additional over-production but i also am in too much discomfort to wait another 4 hrs.

LO is 6 weeks old today if that helps. any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Re: advice needed on oversupply one one side.

Originally Posted by janesosquare

it seems that i have finally managed to get the oversupply issues under control on the right side but the left still leaks so much that it seems to over-produce in response to the leakage. i am block feeding and feeding more frequently from the right and leaving the left for every 4 hrs or so. this helps a bit but if that feed is not a big one, the engorgement is quite painful and i worry about infections (again!).

what i'm wondering is, if LO doesn't nurse much off the left side and falls asleep, would pumping that breast increase milk production if done right after nursing? i don't want to offer that side again in an hour or so when he wakes up as that would probably cause additional over-production but i also am in too much discomfort to wait another 4 hrs.

LO is 6 weeks old today if that helps. any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[ j ]

It is very uncomfortable- I know from experience. If the second side becomes unbearably full, just hand express a little milk until you're more comfortable and then use cool compresses - but try to express less milk each time until you are comfortable without doing so. Your body will start to adjust on it's own ... if you pump after nursing (or any time for that matter) it will just signal your breasts to make more milk and you'll never get out of the state you are in. (Also, FYI, many times LC's will advise women to pump after nursing to INCREASE their supplies ... so, that is clearly not what you want to be doing. ) You are still in the early weeks of nursing and your body has yet to regulate it's milk production needs for your baby. Hang in there and it should get better very soon!!

Mama to Adeline Brett, breastfed for 4.5 years (12/14/05) and little Eliza June, new tiny sprite in my arms and still learning the ropes (7/18/10)

Family Blog • If I'm here I'm nursing and typing one handed ... forgive the typos!
And I'm not a newbie at all ... I'm trying to get my old user ID working from back in the day ... paint-the-moon

Re: advice needed on oversupply one one side.

thanks so much... as usual, you have the answers! so i won't do that then. i just wish i could stop the leakage. so much leaks out (at all times -- not just while nursing and even when not engorged. i think i leak about 2/3 to 1 oz a day.) that i think that tells my body to make more milk. i remember this being an issue the first time around up until almost a year... and then after my daughter decided she was done with the breast, i still had milk for over a year and 1/2.

any tips on stopping or slowing down leakage (besides pressing on the breast or cold water etc). what about those silicone breast pads? anyone know?

Re: advice needed on oversupply one one side.

Originally Posted by janesosquare

thanks so much... as usual, you have the answers! so i won't do that then. i just wish i could stop the leakage. so much leaks out (at all times -- not just while nursing and even when not engorged. i think i leak about 2/3 to 1 oz a day.) that i think that tells my body to make more milk. i remember this being an issue the first time around up until almost a year... and then after my daughter decided she was done with the breast, i still had milk for over a year and 1/2.

any tips on stopping or slowing down leakage (besides pressing on the breast or cold water etc). what about those silicone breast pads? anyone know?

thanks so much.

[ j ]

I don't really have any advice for slowing down/stopping the leaking. I deal with that myself. My little one is 8 months and I still leak at least a couple times a day. I remember in the early months being just flooded constantly. I'd wake up drenched in milk, laying in a puddle of it! And would leak throughout the day regardless of what I was doing. I've never tried the silicone pads ... they may help control the leaks getting out, but I don't think they can actually help with your breasts leaking to begin with. Unfortunately, I think that only time will do that. You are still very early in your breastfeeding relationship with your current baby, and your body still hasn't regulated your supply to meet his demands. Your hormones are still in overdrive and when they settle down things will normalize for you! I promise! With the massive oversupply I experienced (and it sounds like it may be the same with you), mine took a litle longer to even out, but I noticed a dramatic difference by 4 months. And this is actually when I finally got my oversupply under control.

I'm sure you know all this already, but kellymom.com says: "After the first 6 weeks to 3 months (or sometimes later - this varies for different mothers), the high baseline prolactin level that is the norm in the early weeks gradually decreases to the lower baseline that is the norm for later lactation. Around this time, mom's breasts may feel less full, leaking may decrease or stop, let-down may become less noticeable, and pumping output may decrease. These are all normal changes and, on their own, do not mean that milk supply has decreased."

Good luck!

Mama to Adeline Brett, breastfed for 4.5 years (12/14/05) and little Eliza June, new tiny sprite in my arms and still learning the ropes (7/18/10)

Family Blog • If I'm here I'm nursing and typing one handed ... forgive the typos!
And I'm not a newbie at all ... I'm trying to get my old user ID working from back in the day ... paint-the-moon

Re: advice needed on oversupply one one side.

thanks... and it's nice to know that i'm not the only one rolling around in my own milk at night! i found that lansinoh breast pads absorb the best. (with regular pads, i can go through a box of 30 in 2 days -- and that's just on the one breast)

i remember being in a kids store and the gal at the counter telling me about these silicone pads. they don't absorb milk but sort of stick to the breast with a drop of milk and then you are not supposed to leak at all. i was wondering if anyone had heard of these?

eventually, it'll all die down. at least we are blessed with milk and a lovely bf relationship.

Re: advice needed on oversupply one one side.

Yes, they are called Lily Padz. I have never tried them ... I was worried that since they don't breathe at all it would be a breeding ground for thrush (which I'm happy to say I've finally conquered after many months of it!).

After looking at their site, it seems they work by applying pressure to the nipple to stop leaks (like putting your finger there to stop from leaking). I don't know if I'd want something like that on me 24/7 though ... like maybe you'd be messing with something that shouldn't be??

Let me know if they work well if you try them!

Last edited by @llli*paint.the.moon; August 14th, 2006 at 11:01 PM.

Mama to Adeline Brett, breastfed for 4.5 years (12/14/05) and little Eliza June, new tiny sprite in my arms and still learning the ropes (7/18/10)

Family Blog • If I'm here I'm nursing and typing one handed ... forgive the typos!
And I'm not a newbie at all ... I'm trying to get my old user ID working from back in the day ... paint-the-moon

Re: advice needed on oversupply one one side.

woah! thanks for the heads-up. sounds like one person out of four were happy with them. i think i'll stick to my lansinoh. they are super-thin and absorb well and are almost invisible under clothes. also, i only need one or 2 a day. i like how they keep the moisture off of the skin too.

glad to hear that you beat the thrush monster. i have heard that that is one of the most painful and frustrating aspects of bfing.

Re: advice needed on oversupply one one side.

Originally Posted by janesosquare

woah! thanks for the heads-up. sounds like one person out of four were happy with them. i think i'll stick to my lansinoh. they are super-thin and absorb well and are almost invisible under clothes. also, i only need one or 2 a day. i like how they keep the moisture off of the skin too.

Yeah ... they didn't sound that pleasant to wear or very healthy for your breasts. And the one woman who said her daughter wouldn't nurse because of the taste of the sticky stuff ... well, I just wouldn't want to mess with that! I always trust real world reviews more than the manufacturer!

Originally Posted by janesosquare

glad to hear that you beat the thrush monster. i have heard that that is one of the most painful and frustrating aspects of bfing.

Thanks ... YES, it most certainly was excruciating pain!
[ j ]

Mama to Adeline Brett, breastfed for 4.5 years (12/14/05) and little Eliza June, new tiny sprite in my arms and still learning the ropes (7/18/10)

Family Blog • If I'm here I'm nursing and typing one handed ... forgive the typos!
And I'm not a newbie at all ... I'm trying to get my old user ID working from back in the day ... paint-the-moon